1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to apparatus and methods for inspection or review. More particularly, the invention relates to apparatus and methods for inspection or review of reticles or masks used to manufacture semiconductor devices.
2. Description of the Background Art
One of the major sources of yield loss in the manufacture of very large scale integrated (VLSI) circuits is random defect in the photomasks. As chip sizes and geometry densities increase more attention must be given to mask quality in order to reduce defects to a level commensurate with acceptable yields.